A Spark of Magik
by TheSilverbloodAlchemist
Summary: AU. "His bright red eyes pierced through the flames to her, and Maka's eyes widened when she caught her own reflection in his gaze. Energy crackled around her like snakes, and her eyes had gone from a earthy olive green to a bright lime." Rated M for later chapters and language.
1. Is He Still Standing Out There?

_I do not own Soul Eater, the plot and any original characters belong to me._

* * *

She felt his eyes on her before she saw him. He was standing in the doorway of an apartment building across the street from the auto shop she worked in, and he was watching her.

Had been watching her all day.

Maka sighed, twirling her pen in one hand as she looked back at the computer, going back to work. She still had to take inventory before she headed home in two hours, and the system has been glitching recently. She had to call someone to fix that or do it herself, or she'd loose her job.

Her job at her Uncle JB's auto shop paid well, and all she really had to do was paper work. It was a fairly nice place to work when creepy men weren't _staring at her through the window._

The bell above the front door rang noisily, jolting the blond out of her thoughts as Maka's coworker strolled in, sleeves rolled up as she dropped a bag of McDonalds on her desk. "I come bearing gifts," Liz said with a grin, leaning against the desk. Maka smiled back up at her, opening the bag and pulling out a burger happily.

"Thanks Liz, I owe you big time," Maka said with a smile, taking a large bite out of the burger. The mechanic grinned at her, taking a bite out of her own sandwich as well.

"I'm going to hold you to that," she teased, reaching over and tugging on one of the younger woman's pigtails. Maka stuck her tongue out, and the two chatted quietly as they ate. Maka's eyes kept flickering towards the mysterious man.

Earlier when he had been watching them, she had thought he had been watching Liz. With her silky blond hair, enviable body, and that whole "sexy mechanic" thing going for her, Liz often attracted the attention of their male customers. But when she had left to get lunch, and he kept watching, Maka knew he was watching her.

"Maka, you okay?"

The younger blond looked up at her friend, sighing quietly. "It's nothing really," she started. "It's just... well, someone's been watching me all day." Liz stared at her for a few seconds before scoffing, leaning forward and propping her chin up on her fist.

"Riiight," she said sarcastically. "Sweetie, I think JB's paranoia is rubbing off on you. Maybe you should head home early."

"I'm not paranoid!"Maka protested. "He's standing right across the stree- _Don't look you idiot!" _

Despite her hissed warning, Liz leaned over the desk, looking out the window at the trench coat wearing figure. She quirked an eyebrow, turning back to Maka. "How long has he been there?" she asked.

"All day," Maka said quietly, sneaking a glance as well. "At first I thought he was watching you, but then you left and he was still there."

"Gee, thanks for warning me."

"Please, you could break his arm with your leg."

Both girls looked out the window this time, and this time, the man across the street tipped his hat at them.

Maka squeaked, practically falling off of her stool. Actually, her stool did start to tip back, and she was falling backwards. She threw her hands back with a yelp, prepared to try and catch herself when a familiar burning started in her fingers.

Crap, not this again.

Maka barely saw green arcs of energy sparking from her fingers, and then she was floating an inch of the floor, the stool falling with a clatter. Maka clenched her hands into fists, and the sparks stopped just as Liz came tearing around the corner. Maka's butt hit the floor and Liz pulled her back up easily.

"Sheesh Maka, be careful," she chastised gently, scooping up the stool. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Maka said, shoving her hands in her back pockets. She felt the heat from them through the denim of her jeans, but didn't dare take them out on the off chance she was still sparking, as she liked to call it.

It was pure chance that she looked out the window as she sat back down, and she almost froze when she saw the man smile at her, nod again, and walk off.

She liked to think she was seeing things, but she could've _sworn _the man had had _sharp teeth._

* * *

"I really need to get a car," Maka said to herself with a sigh, brushing her bangs away from her face. It was late, way too late for her tastes. Thanks to the system glitching out, the blond had had to stay an extra hour after her shift was over, trying to fix the damn program. The buses weren't running at this time, and Maka had to walk the five miles to her apartment.

In the dark.

Maka _hated _the dark.

Scowling to herself and berating herself for not taking up Liz's offer of a ride, Maka walked down the street with her hands jammed in her pockets. They were still sparking last time she had checked. She pulled her right hand out and held it out in front of her. What looked like green lightning was shooting out of her fingertips and arching between the pale digits, crackling quietly.

Sighing, Maka shoved her hand back in her pocket, her shoulders slumping. She was used to the electricity that shot from her fingertips. When she had first started doing it in the tenth grade, she had brushed it off as some weird kind of static electricity.

That was, until she had sent the school bully to the hospital with 2nd degree burns.

Her family had to move, she had to start at a new school, and her father had left. Maybe learning that his daughter was a freak had sent him running, maybe her mom was right and he was just a cheating bastard, or maybe she should just forget about it.

Maka was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice the group of men in front of her until she crashed into the biggest one, yelping in surprise as she fell back for the second time today.

"Watch it buddy!" she snapped, glaring at the bigger man. He seemed to ignore her, turning towards one of his companions.

"_This _is the girl?" he asked, his voice sending shivers down her back.

"She's the one Eater was watching, and you know how he is."

"Well damn, I was hoping she would be hotter. He normally has a better taste in women."

Maka bristled, her lip pulling back with a snarl. "I don't know what you guys are talking about," she snapped, jumping up to her feet and taking a few steps back.

"Look lady, we just need your boyfriend to do us a little favor, and since he's not cooperating with us-"

"I don't have a boyfrien-"

"Oi, there ye are!"

Maka spun around, and her eyes widened when the same man who had been watching her strolled up casually, throwing an arm around her shoulders and giving a light squeeze. He was younger than she would have thought, maybe late twenties, early thirties, with shockingly white hair pulled back into a short ponytail at the nape of his neck. His eyes were like fire, and she felt all of her resistance to his touch melt away when he looked down at her and smiled.

"I've been lookin' for ye everywhere lass!" he said, his Scottish accent thick. Every word made the haze in her brain thicken, and she smiled up at him.

"Eater, you lazy ass, we asked for that spell days ago," the bigger man growled, crossing his arms. Maka would have pondered at his words a bit more if her brain didn't feel like it was being smothered with a blanket, barely registering anything at all.

"Patience lads," the man known as Eater said with a charming grin. "A spell like the one ye ordered takes time. It'll be done within the week."

"We don't have time to wait another week."

"Well then, I suggest ye find somebody who's willin' to 'and over a shotty product," Eater replied calmly. Maka leaned further into his side, sighing softly as she lost herself in the blanket that covered her mind. It swirled around her brain like... like... like a cat, she thought lethargically. She could almost see it now, twisting and turning around her head.

"Look, either you give us the spell now, or your little girlfriend gets it!"

Suddenly, Maka was jerked forward by a large, beefy hand on her wrist. The "cat" that had been fogging up her thoughts disappeared into smoke and Maka gasped as the world came back into focus.

Of course, it wasn't until after the beefy thug had her in a choke hold that she realized what the hell was going on.

"H-hey!" Maka choked out, squirming in his grasp. Eater watched her with wide eyes, turning back to the thugs with a growl.

"Let her go," he growled, his red eyes catching the light in a way that made them look like they were glowing.

"Give us the damn spell we ordered and we will!" the thug grunted, readjusting his grip on the violently squirming Maka. She didn't have time to focus on his words, too busy trying to get away.

Maka stilled for a moment when she felt the all-too-familiar burning in her hands, before grinning widely. She fell lax in the thug's arms, and when he released her to get a better grip, Maka silently braced herself for what she had to do, reached down to grab whatever flesh she found first, and sent a shock through the man's body.

The thug shrieked in agony and jerked his arms away from Maka, what looked like green lighting arching around his body. Maka stumbled forward and right into the arms of the man they had called Eater. She got ready to struggle again but he simply spun her around and pulled her against him, her back flush with his chest. He grabbed her wrist and held the still sparking hand out towards the small group.

They all yelled and tried to run off, but before they could even take a step, Eater growled something in what sounded like Gaelic and Maka's whole world turned into flame.

It felt like her blood was on fire, rushing through her heart to the hand the strange man held out towards the thugs. Pure energy shot from her palm, catching them all in it's rush to escape into the world. Maka had never felt so powerful, so in charge.

So hot.

Everything was on fire.

Her body was _burning!_

"Maka, Maka lass," a low voice called to her, but she was still caught in the grip of the power her body was trying to equally resist and accept. She felt her body start to jerk and convulse in the stranger's arms, her head flopping back against his shoulder. He cursed loudly and spun her back around towards him.

His bright red eyes pierced through the flames to her, and Maka's eyes widened when she caught her own reflection in his gaze. Energy crackled around her like snakes, and her eyes had gone from a earthy olive green to a bright lime. She opened her mouth, whether to ask what was going on or to scream she didn't know, but was cut off by a pair of dry lips against her own soft ones.

Maka immediately tensed up, her body frozen stiff as Eater awkwardly kissed her. She opened her moth to try and bite his lip off or something, but when she could feel the heat disappearing, she stopped. The heat took a shortcut through her heart again, but this time it passed through her mouth into his. She exhaled shakily, and he drank it eagerly from her mouth, along with the lightning that was flowing through her veins.

Despite the flowing energy, it was a kind of a terrible kiss, looking back. So ridge and stiff and lacking any passion. Maka distractedly thought that if kissing strangers was always this awkward, then she was never going out with Liz ever again.

When he pulled away, the fire had cooled to embers, and Maka was shaking in rage. Eater pulled back, his eyes glowing a brighter red than before as he wiped his lips with the back of his sleeve. "Sheesh lass, yer a _terrible _kisser," he said bluntly, making a face.

After staring at him in silence for a few seconds, Maka came to the conclusion that this was a situation best handled in a mature, rational way.

So she pulled her fist back and let it fly, probably breaking his nose in the process.

'_Too bad I'm not mature and rational,' _she thought with a smirk as he fell back with a yell. She turned and ran away, not stopping until she was safely behind the locked door of her apartment.

She hadn't noticed that she had stopped sparking.

* * *

_So this is what I've been working on while I procrastinate on AG. I have about 7 chapters written already, and will be posting them fortnightly. Expect a new update every other Friday._

_www . silv3rbloodalch3mist . tumblr . com_


	2. Thanks for the Tea and the Crazy

_I do not own Soul Eater, the plot and any original characters belong to me._

* * *

Maka sighed, stumbling into her kitchen with a loud yawn. It was far too early to be up, but then again, she hadn't really gone to sleep last night in the first place. After her encounter last night, she had stayed up on her shitty laptop, looking up information and trying to figure out just what had happened. All she had found was an address for an old bookstore and a police report that involved three men who had appeared to have been tazed. Maka had taken one look at their familiar faces and slammed the laptop closed, practically throwing it off of her lap and scrambling away from it.

As she started a pot of coffee, Maka pulled her baggy sweater close to her body. For some odd reason, she was _freezing, _even though fall had just begun. Her body temperature had always been a little high, but now she felt like a human popsicle.

Maka stopped, her hand pressing against the cold skin over her heart. She remembered the feeling of heat rushing through her heart and leaving her body, the way _his _eyes seemed to glow with power, the rough growl of an ancient language in her ear-

"Meow~"

The blonde spun around, looking at the black cat pawing at her window with a surprised smile. "Blair!" she said happily, running to the window and opening it with little difficulty, holding her arms open for the small feline. Blair jumped easily into her arms, purring loudly as Maka closed the window again.

"Where have you been kitty?" Maka asked, giggling as Blair nuzzled her cheek. "I missed you!" The small black cat meowed back, licking her cheek once before hopping gracefully out of her arms and strutting towards the kitchen. "Alright, alright, I'll give you food," Maka said, laughing.

Blair was a stray, or at least she acted like one. She had shown up at her window a month ago, and ever since, Maka thought of her as her cat. The small cat was here the majority of the time anyways, most nights spent curled up at Maka's side. Blair had a little pumpkin collar around her neck, which indicated that she had an owner, but every time Maka would check, there was only her name.

Maka poured out the cat food as she was sucked back into her thoughts, moving around the kitchen distractedly after she set the food in front of Blair. The black cat watched her with glowing gold eyes, and Maka froze, heat prickling across her skin wherever Blair looked at her. Turning towards the cat, she noticed that Blair's eyes looked surprisingly human, watching her intelligently. Pursing her lips in suspicion, Maka walked closer towards the cat. Her hand reached out for the heat and her fingers brushed the little pumpkin hanging around her neck. Maka flipped it over and gasped when she saw two new lines of writing.

"Holy shit, finally!" Maka exclaimed, quickly grabbing a notepad and writing down the address. Blair squirmed wildly, but a single glare from Maka made her freeze. "Good girl," Maka cooed, petting Blair's head after she finished writing down the address. "Now I can finally talk to your owner. They need to know where you come most nights." Blair mrowed in protest, but Maka just ignored her, instead choosing to get ready.

She had a lot of work to do.

* * *

The bells above the door rang sweetly as Maka entered the shop, stopping for a moment to appreciate the warmth and comfort that was typically found in bookshops like this one. There was an almost overbearing scent of sage, but Maka didn't mind. It smelled almost... familiar...

"Can I help you young lady?"

Maka turned towards the desk, spotting a pretty woman smiling at her from behind the counter. She had long golden hair tied back into a ponytail and an eyepatch covering one eye. Maka smiled at her and waved, getting a wave back.

"I'm just looking around for some information," Maka said, heading towards the woman. Her name tag read "Marie".

"Well why don't you tell me what you're looking for, and I'll tell you all you need to know, or at least direct you towards a book that can," Marie said, leaning forward and resting her head on her fist. Maka felt heat radiating off of her and instinctively stepped closer.

"It's a... bit of a _weird _question," the young woman said uncertainly, and Marie just smiled.

"Trust me, I've heard weirder."

Maka bit her lip nervously before nodding. "Okay, well, I had... a run in with some thugs yesterday, and there was a man there who... um..." Maka stopped, trying to figure out how to word her thoughts. "Well he seemed to have... _sucked _energy out of me or something. I've been feeling really cold ever since, and I have a killer headache." Maka looked up at the store owner, who just looked concerned. She reached forward and pressed the back of her hand to Maka's forehead.

"Sweetie, you're freezing," she said softly. "Come on, let's take this conversation to the back. I have something that'll make you feel all better." Maka followed after her easily, running her fingertips along the spines of the books on the shelves. She was surprised to feel that some books were hotter than others, some burning hot and some lukewarm. Maka jerked her hand back, and looked up at Marie with wide eyes. Marie just motioned her onward, her smile promising answers.

They reached a small kitchenette in the back room, where Marie situated Maka on a wooden stool and then started to run around, gathering ingredients.

"Now before I answer your question, I have a few of my own," Marie said, focusing on whatever it was she was making. "One, do you know who this man was?"

"Not exactly..." Maka said, crossing her legs on top of the stool. "He had been watching me at work earlier, and I heard one of the thugs call him "Eater", though I doubt that's his real name." Marie nodded, taking the mishmash of ingredients into a small tea bag and dropping it into a colorful mug.

"You'd be surprised," Marie said with a small laugh. "This energy, do you mean he just made you tired or did he actually draw something from you?" Maka thought carefully, trying to decide how much to tell this stranger. She felt a warm hand on her own and looked up into Marie's smiling face. "You can tell me sweetie, I just want to help."

Maka nodded. "Well, I've... emitted isn't the right word, produced I guess? Yeah, produced this energy from mostly my fingertips most of my life," she admitted. "It looks like green lightning, and I call it sparking. Anyways, I was giving off... well a lot of it when the thugs attacked, and he, the Eater guy, used it as a weapon against them. After that, it just felt like my whole body was on fire and then-"

"And then he drew all of that excess energy out of your body, probably through your mouth, am I right?" Maka stared wide eyed at the older woman, watching her pour some hot water into the mug.

"H-how did you know that?" Maka asked.

"Sweetie, you may not believe me, but Soul saved your life last night," Marie said, handing Maka the mug.

"Saved my... Wait, who's Soul?" Marie sighed, taking the seat across from Maka and nodding towards the mug.

"Drink that and then I'll answer your questions," Marie said, watching in amusement as Maka tried to chug the hot liquid, choking on it instead. "Slowly!" she said with a laugh.

Maka sipped the drink slowly down, feeling the warmth return to her body. She sighed in relief, and felt a familiar warmth return to her fingertips. She yelped and practically dropped the mug, trying to hide her hands but Marie had already taken them in hers, inspecting the energy shooting from them.

"So this is sparking?" she asked, and Maka nodded meekly. "Sweetie, I think I know what your problem is," Marie said happily. "You're a Cadhnra."

"... I'm a what now?"

"Cadhnra, it's Gaelic for 'Battery'," Marie explained. Maka pursed her lips and gasped in realization.

"Eater used Gaelic last night! It's how he attacked those men!" Maka exclaimed. Marie just nodded.

"Yes, he was using a powerful aggressive charm. He should have been more careful though, your body wasn't ready for the sudden onslaught of power. You would have burned up from the inside if he hadn't sucked up all the excess energy, though judging by your symptoms, he took a little too much," Marie said thoughtfully. Maka just gaped at her, her mind running around in circles as she tried to grasp what the older woman was saying.

"Huh?"

Oh wow Maka, nice vocabulary.

"Maybe I should start from the beginning," Marie murmured to herself, releasing Maka's hands. "Finish up your tea while I talk, okay sweetie?" Maka nodded, taking another sip of her drink and being careful not to zap herself.

"Cadhnras, like yourself, are like human batteries. They produce vast amounts of energy that people like Soul Eater, the man from last night, can use."

"Wait, you know this guy?" Maka asked.

"He's a regular here," the shopkeeper said with a shrug. "He's a Sainn."

"A Sy-what?" Marie sighed, tugging nervously at her fingers.

"Oh dear, I'm not explaining this well at all." Maka just quirked her eyebrow in a "You think?" kind of way. "Let me try and make this as simple as possible. Soul is a Warlock that can't produce his own Magik. You produce Magik, at an alarming rate might I add. You two need to each other, or you're both as good as dead."

Maka just stared at her, blinking rapidly. After a minute or two of staring, she stood up, thanked Marie for the tea, and walked away.

"W-wait! Come back!"

"Look, either you're making fun of me or you're crazy," Maka said bluntly, "and I really don't want to deal with that right now-"

Maka was cut off when Marie grabbed her wrist, ignoring the green tendrils of energy that snaked around where their bodies joined.

"Come and talk to me when you're ready to hear the truth," Marie urged, looking Maka dead in the eye. "And if something weird like this happens again, or you feel feverish for any reason, you call me," she ordered, handing Maka her business card. Maka stared out at the card for a moment before sighing and slipping it into her pocket.

"Alright, I will," Maka said. Marie smiled sadly at her and let go, waving goodbye as Maka left. Once she was out of sight, Marie ran to the rotary phone hanging on the wall, dialing _his _number and waiting impatiently for him to pick up.

A rough Scottish accent growled at her once the phone had been picked up. "Eater residence, what the fuck do ye want-"

"Why didn't you tell me you had found a Cadhnra?" Marie snapped. The man on the other end was silent for a few moments before sighing.

"I guess Maka came to see ye?" he asked wearily.

"Yes she did, and she was completely drained! Soul, you have to be more careful with this! If you take too much-!"

"I know Marie," Soul said, and Marie could easily picture him pinching the bridge of his nose. "It was a messy job, but she was burnin' up! She might 'ave died!"

"I know that, and I'm not saying I'm not glad you saved her life, but couldn't you have explained it to her at least? When I tried to, she thought I was crazy!"

"Well I didn' really 'ave time!" Soul snapped. "She punched me then ran! I 'ave someone watchin' over her while I try and figure it out."

"Well figure it out faster young man, she's producing Magik faster than her body can handle now that she's been exposed to the real deal." Soul sighed.

"I'll hurry, okay? Just... let me figure this mess out."

"Hurry." With that Marie hung up, sighing loudly as she flopped against the wall. That man made things way too complicated for her tastes.

* * *

Soul sighed, hanging up the phone and tossing it across the room onto his bed. He finished tugging on his shirt and walked into the bathroom. He had woken up late, the warmth pulsing through his veins lulling him back to sleep multiple times.

He had forgotten how lovely Magik had felt in his veins, how much it reminded him of home.

He brushed his teeth, staring at his reflection as he did. His eyes were still glowing a bright red, Maka's Magik swirling behind them. He was still amazed that he had found her, a Cadhnra in the Nevada desert. People like him and her tended to migrate towards places where the Earth was alive, pulsing with life and vitality. Maka Albarn was rejecting all the norms, and it left him confused and interested, two things he hadn't been in a very long while.

There was a knock on his door, and Soul groaned, spitting out the toothpaste and rinsing out his mouth. He walked towards the door, but came to a dead halt when he heard a musical voice calling, "Hello? Is anyone home?"

He ran silently the rest of the way to the door, peeking through the peephole to confirm that it was who he thought it was.

"Uh, I'm here about your cat?" Maka called, oblivious to the startled man watching her. "She's been coming to my apartment recently, and I just wanted you to know."

Soul's hand was already on the doorknob, but Marie's soft voice was in his head again, stopping him.

"_I know that, and I'm not saying I'm not glad you saved her life, but couldn't you have explained it to her at least? When I tried to, she thought I was crazy!"_

The warlock sighed, letting go of the doorknob. He didn't know what to tell Maka, and even if she saw him, she'd just punch him again and run. He had to wait, had to be patient.

"Well, I guess I'm just talking to an empty apartment," Maka called wearily. "I'll just slip a note under the door," he heard her mumble, and watched her as she wrote down on a piece of paper she had pulled from her pocket. After a few moments, he couldn't resist, pressing both his hands to the door and stepping back.

"_Foilsítear_," he said under his breath, feeling Maka's Magik stir in his veins and rush to do his bidding. Rippling from his hands, the door disappeared until there was nothing there. Soul knew that it would look exactly the same from the other side, and the door was still solid, but now he could see through it to the tiny woman on the other side.

Maka Albarn was short, barely coming to his shoulder, with long ash blond hair and bright olive green eyes. She was biting her bottom lip as she worked, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Lithe and gently curved, the Cadhnra was pretty in a girl next door kind of way that her plain clothing only emphasized.

It was his first up-close look at her, and as Soul watched her, he couldn't believe that such a tiny, plain woman could hold as much power as she did. If he focused hard enough, he could see the bright green haze flowing around her thin body.

Suddenly, the door was back and Soul stumbled back, surprised. He looked at his hands and was disappointed to see that they were no longer glowing with power. He had used up the last of Magik he had (most having been used to fix his broken nose), and a sudden sadness ripped through him.

This was his curse. A Warlock with no Magik of his own. A Sainn.

A small piece of paper was slipped under the door and he scooped it up, reading the hastily scratched out note and smiling sadly to himself. He could feel her walking down the hall and disappearing into the elevator of his high end apartment building, his body calling out for her sweet, clean, powerful Magik like a man dying of thirst.

He was the curse, and she would be his remedy.

* * *

_I know a lot of you aren't super thrilled with the posting schedule of this story - every other Friday - but this is just so I can try and stay ahead of the story so I won't be late with updates. I have about 8 chapters written right now, and the last two aren't even done and I might rewrite one of them. I'm trying to avoid what is happening with AG, which is I have no inspiration at the moment. My muse is still alive and kicking for this story, so I'm trying to take advantage of that as long as I can._

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___(Say hello to my Halloween url~)_


	3. Knock Twice for Emergencies

_I do not own Soul Eater, the plot and any original characters belong to me._

* * *

"Why don't you go home early Maka?" Maka imitated with a snarl as she opened the door to her apartment. "You're burning up Maka! I'm sure you don't need the fucking _food money _Maka!"

She let out a frustrated scream, throwing her shoulder bag at the couch and practically ripping her way out of her hoodie. Liz had been right when she had said that Maka was burning up, but did she really have to send her home? Maka needed to go grocery shopping soon, and she couldn't do that broke!

Blair mrowed loudly as she jumped out of the way of Maka's bag, hissing at the lump of fake leather before hopping off the couch and trotting over to Maka. "Hey kitty," the blond said, leaning down to scoop Blair up. The second her overheated skin touched her fur however, the black cat was halfway across the room, meowing loudly as energy arched out of Maka's fingers.

"Shit! I'm sorry Blair!" Maka cried, holding her sparking hand close to her chest. Her eyes automatically flicked towards the fridge, where Marie's card was pinned to the white surface by a magnet. "No!" she said, shaking her head. "I do not need that woman's help!"

It had been a week since Maka had visited Marie's bookstore, and since then she had felt much more like herself.

And then too much like herself.

And then _way _too much like herself.

She felt like she was burning again, energy shooting out of her fingertips almost violently. Occasionally her whole arm would be covered in the green electricity, her hair whipping around her face roughly. Maka was just lucky that she had been in the server room when the sudden sparking started. The cold temperature helped calm the electricity down and made Maka feel much better.

As she looked down at her fingertips, the beginning sparks coming from her fingers, Maka decided to turn to an old friend. She ran to the kitchen and banged her fist against the wall that separated her apartment and the next one over. After a few tense seconds, there was a knock back, and the blond ran to unlock the door for her neighbor.

Blair was pawing madly at the window, and with a grunt Maka let her out, watching the cat run towards what Maka presumed to be her owner's apartment. Why hadn't her owner called Maka back? Did Blair eat up the note or some- "Maka!"

Maka spun around, smiling weakly at her neighbor Tsubaki. Tsubaki had gone to school with Maka before she had started to spark, and fate had brought them back together as neighbors. After a few months of living next door, the Japanese woman had accidentally stumbled in on Maka whilst she was sparking, and was now one of the few living souls that knew and didn't reject her completely because of it.

"Hey Tsu," Maka said, closing the window halfway before going to greet her friend. "Thanks for coming over."

"Oh, it's no problem sweetie!" Tsubaki said, rushing towards Maka and trying to give her a hug. There was a loud crack and the Japanese woman stumbled back, watching as the green electricity arched around her friend. "Oh my god," she breathed, watching her friend walk towards the couch.

"I don't know what's wrong with me," Maka said, her fear in her voice. "It's _never_ been this bad. I think I might be sick or somethi- _AGH!"_

Maka collapsed as she was hit with a dizzy spell unlike anything she had ever experienced. It felt like gravity had decided to make one Miss Maka Albarn it's bitch, yanking her down hard with the weight of the world crashing down on her head. Tsubaki yelled her name, rushing forward and ignoring the energy whipping around Maka like an angry tornado as she helped the younger woman to the couch.

"Ugh, I'm _fine," _Maka reassured, smiling shakily up at her raven-haired friend. "It's just a headache."

"Headaches don't make you collapse Maka! I'm going to call the hospital!" Tsubaki said, reaching for her cell phone.

"Oh, yes, that'll go well," Maka said sarcastically. " 'Oh hello, 911? Yes, my friend is trying to impersonate a lightning rod and succeeding, what do recommen_DAGH!" _

Maka's back arched off the couch as she screamed, the electricity pulsing through her blood hot and fast. Tsubaki scrambled back as the green energy enveloped her friend, lightning filling up the room. The blond's body started to jerk and convulse on the bed, her unseeing eyes a bright lime.

"That's it, I'm calling 911!" Tsubaki yelled, dialing with wide eyes before Maka yelled "NO!"

The Japanese woman looked up, jerking back when her blue eyes met unfamiliar lime. "M-Marie, call Marie!" Maka gasped out in fear, fighting the grip that the energy had on her mind. "Her card on fridge!"

Tsubaki nodded and ran to the kitchen as Maka started to scream again, the lightning crackling and snapping through the air as she convulsed.

* * *

Across town, a tall man was hopping onto his motorcycle, a small black cat following at his heels as he revved his engine and took off towards the opposite side of town.

* * *

Marie pounded her fist against the worn wood of the door, anxiously shifting back and forth from one foot to the other. She was fairly certain that she had sped the entire way here in her little yellow Bug, the panicked voice of Maka's friend still ringing in her ear.

"_Please, there's electricity everywhere! And she sounds - '__**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHH!' **__- like she's in a lot of pain! Please help!" _

Marie had tried to call Soul to ask him to help, but the lazy son of a bitch wasn't answering. She made a mental note to murder him just as the door swung open into hell.

"Oh thank god!" Tsubaki said, dragging her inside. "Please help Maka!" Marie looked around at the Magik that filled up the tiny apartment, crackling and humming through the air.

"Holy shit," the golden-haired woman said simply before closing the door behind them and throwing her emergency bag open. She started digging through the contents, trying to ignore Maka's screams and the smell of burning hair and flesh that filled the room. Just as her fingers closed around the long, cylindrical object she was looking for, there was a high-pitched scream from the couch.

Both Marie and Tsubaki whipped their heads around, watching as Maka's convulsing body lifted off the couch, settling in a few feet above the floor. Tsubaki screamed and Marie just cursed, fumbling the cylinder and running towards the couch.

"God please work!" she prayed under her breath, flipping back the top and pressing the button at the bottom. After a few moments, the Magik started to flow into the container, and Marie sighed a breath of relief.

But the cylinder could only hold so much Magik, and soon Marie was out of storage space while Maka still hung in the air. "God DAMN IT Eater!" she yelled, throwing the container away carelessly as she watched the young Cadhnra continue to writhe in mid-air. "Where are you when I need you, you lazy ass!?"

"_Oi woman! Let me in before ye start cussin' me out!"_

Marie almost screamed in relief as she ran to the door, throwing it open and grabbing the tall Sainn by the arm, dragging him inside. He looked at the tiny woman floating in midair and cursed quietly, Blair wrapping around his ankles and meowing in concern. "Blair, go to the opposite side of the couch, I'm goin' need as much 'elp as I can get," he growled at his Familiar, watching as the cat nodded before disappearing into a puff of purple smoke.

A curvy woman wearing the typical Familiar uniform emerged, her ears flicking back and forth nervously as she saluted at her warlock. "Aye aye captain!" she chirped, running to Maka's other side and anxiously awaiting her masters' next order. Soul rolled up the sleeves of his shirt as he took his place by Maka's head, unable to help the smirk that came to his face. With this much Magik he'd be set for at least a month, if not longer.

"W-what are you going to do to her!?" Tsubaki demanded in a shaky voice, trying to keep some control over the situation. Soul just grinned at her, his sharp teeth sending her into a panic.

"Save this little lassie's life," he said confidently. "She'll probably kill me for it, but oh well." He nodded at Blair, who nodded back and held onto Maka's feet tightly as he held his arms out. With a deep breath, he started to pull in the Magik that was crackling around in the room, pulling it into his body through his fingertips. Once he had soaked up as much of the excess Magik as he could, he sighed, not looking forward to the next part as much.

Maka was still screaming and writhing in the air when he hooked his muscular arms under hers, but her head snapped back immediately, staring him down with bright lime green eyes. Her piercing gaze made Soul extremely uncomfortable, like she was staring into his soul and judging him for all the selfish reasons he had for helping her. "Oh stop yer glarin'," he hissed, glaring right back. "I'm just helpin' ye."

"_Help yourself by helping me, clever." _Her voice came out warped, like a radio with terrible reception. _"You need to be clever, be strong, because you're dead inside, aren't you _Evans-"

He kissed her just to shut her up, sucking the magic from her roughly. He heard both Tsubaki and Marie's protests - though Tsubaki seemed more against the kissing and Marie more against his roughness - but in the end it didn't matter. All he could focus on was the feeling of Maka's energy pumping into his body and her small form slowly lowering back down onto the couch.

Soul drank up her Magik until there was just enough left in her to not make her sick like last time, then pulled away. The kiss had been as terrible as the last one, maybe even worse this time because her stupid little chin was stabbing into his nose and cutting off his air he pulled away, the last of the Magik holding Maka in the air disappeared as well, leaving Blair and Soul to catch her as gravity claimed her once again.

"Wow, she's so light!" Blair observed as they set her back down. Soul scoffed, rolling his eyes and rolling down his sleeves.

"She's maybe five feet tall, I'm surprised she isn't lighter-"

"What did you just do!?" Tsubaki shouted, getting up into Soul's face. "How dare you kiss her like that-!"

"It was either that or she died," Soul said bluntly, his Scottish accent cutting through the air and Tsubaki's bravado in one swoop. "Trust me, I didn' enjoy it much either."

"Then _stop kissing me _you_ asshole." _All of the other occupants of the room spun towards Maka, who was sitting up now and looked ready to commit murder.

"'Ow about a thank ye, ye know, for savin' yer life?" Soul growled, shoving his hands in his pockets of his jeans as he met Maka's glare easily. There was an upward tilt to her big eyes that he hadn't noticed before, hinting at an Asian descent.

"Thank you," Maka said, surprising Soul. At least until she added, "For using me like a battery, you idiotic fuck," with a snarl.

Before Soul could respond, Blair was in Maka's lap, crushing the girl to her large chest as she cried "Oh Maka-chan! Bu-tan is so glad to see you're feeling better!" Maka spluttered and flailed her arms wildly, not used to having her face shoved into another woman's tits.

"Tsubaki help!" Maka cried, trying to get away from the cat woman crushing her close to her when Blair started purring loudly and nuzzling Maka's cheek. Maka stopped, looking at the woman's familiar gold eyes and white-tipped ears. "Huh? Blair?" she said softly.

"Yup!" Blair said happily. "That's me- oh she passed out."

* * *

Soul watched as Maka slept in her room, leaning in the doorway nonchalantly. After he and Marie had explained to Tsubaki about what Maka was and what he was, she was happy to have the two there. The Japanese woman had instructed Soul to carry Maka to her bed since he was the strongest, and he had marveled once again at how light she was.

So here he stood, deep in thought as the self-destructive Cadhnra slept away. He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"What're you going to do Soul?"

The Sainn turned to his Familiar and smiled weakly, nodding her closer. Blair shifted into a cat, curling around his neck and getting herself comfortable. Around other warlocks and Familiars, Blair had to be silent and submissive, calling the tall man "Master", but when it was just the two of them they were like siblings. They practically were, having grown up together.

"I don' know," Soul said honestly, scratching Blair behind her ear. "She hates me, and I can' honestly say I like 'er all too much either. But she's the only Cadhnra we've been able to find." Blair nodded, knowing his plight all too well. They had traveled together for years, searching for a Cadhnra that didn't yet have a Witch or Warlock to call theirs.

The two had ended up in Nevada desert _somehow, _and while Soul settled into their new apartment, Blair had run around, searching desperately for the person that would save her beloved Warlock from the curse of his birth as a Sainn.

She had been distracted one day by the tantalizing smell of fish, embarrassingly.

"_Come on Mama, you know how much school costs," Blair heard the woman inside say as she hopped up onto her window sill and slunk in through the half-open window. "I'm just gonna work at Uncle JB's until I save up enough... I'm 22 years old Mama, who would be willing to give me a scholarship?"_

_Sneaking into the kitchen, Blair hopped onto the counter as the young woman on the phone was facing the other way. She was about to grab a big ol' bite of fish when the sudden presence of Magik had the fur on her back sticking straight up. Her little kitty head snapped around, focusing as the young woman cursed and examined her fingertips, watching the green Magik shooting out of them with disgust and annoyance. "Yeah Mama, I'm fine. I'm just sparking again," she said, turning back to her dinner. _

_But Blair was already gone, jumping from roof to roof screaming _"SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUL!"

Since that fateful day, Soul had ordered her to keep a watch on the young Maka Albarn, see what she knew about herself and her Magik, and report back to him every few days. It had killed Blair to be so far away from her Warlock for so long, but she liked Maka a lot too. Maka actually let her curl up into her side at night, and the blond played with her, unlike Soul who was all business most of the time. Making spells for humans to pay the bills and searching for a cure for himself all the time, never having time to play or relax or hell, even date! Blair was part cat and she had gotten more ass than Soul had in this god forsaken city!

"Did ye 'ear me Blair?" Soul said, snapping Blair out of her thoughts.

"Huh what?"

Soul smiled lazily, chuckling to himself at his Familiar's typical behavior. "I said that I should probably jus' talk to 'er about the situation. Once she realizes she needs me, then we should be good," he said, his eyes glinting with Maka's Magik. Blair frowned.

"Soul, you're forgetting about the Banna," Blair said, pawing at his cheek as if to berate him for not thinking of this.

"I didn' forget, trust me," Soul said, groaning at the thought.

Soul stepped closer to Maka's bedside, pulling a chair from the corner of the room with a flick of his wrist. As if sensing that her Magik was being used, Maka shifted in her sleep, her eyes flickering behind her eyelids. Soul sat down facing her, and after a few moments, Blair simply nuzzled his cheek and left the room, leaving her Warlock to his thoughts.

He knew he was being fairly creepy, watching her sleep and all, but this was the woman he could possibly spend the rest of his life with. The Banna was stronger than nearly any mortal bond, a union of two souls that lasted a life time. They would share the very essence of what made them Magikal, the very core of each other.

Did he really want to share that kind of connection with Maka Albarn?

He could pull Magik from her without the Banna of course, plenty of Warlocks and Witches did, but it was always something to consider. It wasn't unheard of for a Warlock or Witch to accidentally form a Banna with their Cadhnra. Soul knew the risks, knew that very few stories of couples breaking a Banna ended in anything but bloodshed and heartache.

While he was searching, he had always thought the answer would come to him simply when he found a Cadhnra, but now that he was there, with the answer to all of his problems, the answers were blurred in his head. He wanted his own Magik more than air to breathe, but...

She was _crazy!_

Soul sighed, dropping his head into his hands. "Oi, lass, yer makin' my life a lot harder than it needs to be," the Warlock said softly, frowning at the sleeping blond. She didn't respond, obviously, and Soul sighed because he had reached the level of desperate that included basically talking to yourself.

"Soul?" The Warlock looked up, watching as Tsubaki stepped shyly into the room. "May I join you?" she asked, and Soul smiled reassuringly at her.

"Yes, o' course," he said, drawing another chair up with a flick of his wrist. Tsubaki watched with wide eyes as the green Magik snaked out and grabbed the chair, dragging it towards Soul who then motioned for her to sit.

She sat down, reaching forward and taking Maka's tiny hand in her own. "Marie told me about the bond," she said plainly, and Soul just sighed. He liked Tsubaki, her straight-forward, but kind manner reminding him of his brother back home.

"And what's yer thoughts on it?"

"Maka's gonna be pissed."

Soul laughed, running his fingers through his hair. "Yeah, I figured," he grunted.

"But I think it's only fair to tell you that Maka isn't as bad as she seems at first," Tsubaki continued, smiling softly at the sleeping girl. "She's really very kind and warm."

Soul scoffed. "The first time I met 'er officially, she broke my nose."

"In her defense, you did just kiss her and draw nearly all of her Magik out of her body," his bedside companion said, and he could help but notice that she was taking this better than Maka had. "Just... give her a chance, and she'll give you one. You two need each other now, so you're going to have plenty of time to get to know each other." And with that, Tsubaki stood up, patting his shoulder and giving Maka's hand one last squeeze before she left the room.

Soul stayed in the room well after Marie had left, Tsubaki sleeping on the couch and Blair messing around in the kitchen, singing softly to herself. He sat and thought, watching Maka move in her sleep until he found his eyelids getting heavier and heavier.

The next morning, when the sun shone into the room, it found the Warlock fast asleep, his head resting on Maka's bed and his hand resting over top of Maka's, green tendrils of Magik twining around their joined hands.

* * *

___Hey everyone, sorry for the delay on this update. I got my computer taken away and had no access on Friday. The schedule should go back to normal now. _

___Also, I am about to start NaNoWriMo on Thursday, November 1st. I already have the two updates for November written and edited so there shouldn't be any issues, but if I forget, just send me a friendly reminder. ____Friendly. ____Please._

___EveryonewhoreadsAGpleasetake noticeImeanmygodfolksit'sstartingtopissmeoff._

___www . 2pookyalch3mist . tumblr . com_


	4. Of Rabbits and Magik

_I do not own Soul Eater, the plot and any original characters belong to me._

* * *

_"Mama, I'm scared."_

_Her mother petted Maka's hair, shushing her gently with her musical voice. "I know you are sweetie, I know you are," she said, "but don't worry, we're going to figure this out together."_

_"All three of us?" she asked, cuddling closer to Mama. Maka may be fourteen, but she still curled up at her Mama's side whenever she got scared. And after sending the school bully, Masamune, to the hospital with second degree burns, Maka figured this allowed for Mama cuddles._

_"... Yeah sweetie, all three of us," she said. "Your papa will be home soon, and then we can start packing."_

_They were silent for a few minutes, and the more Maka thought about the move, the more the heat under her skin started to stir, writhing and trying to let free. Suddenly she heard a hiss, and saw a bright green ember landing on her bed spread. The electricity was back._

_She screamed, scrambling away from her Mama before she shushed Maka gently and pulled her back towards her. "Its okay sweetie, its okay!" she said, smiling warmly at her daughter. "Look!"_

_Maka looked down at their joined hands, watching in amazement as the green lightning arching around their joined hands. There was no angry sizzle, no smell of burning flesh or scream of pain. Just a tingle in her hand._

**_"It won't hurt me. It only hurts people planning to hurt you."_**

Maka woke up to snow. A field of white blocking everything else from her vision. She blinked slowly, trying to get the sleep out of her eyes. As her vision cleared, she realized that it wasn't snow, but hair. Fluffy white hair.

_'... Did... I buy a rabbit?'_

Maka sat up slowly, and soon saw that it didn't belong to a rabbit, but to none other than Eater. He had fallen asleep using his arm as a pillow, one hand cushioning his head, and the other...

And the other...

Maka looked down at their overlayed hands, watching the energy that swirled around their hands. Her hand tingled, and she remembered what her mama had said in her dream.

"It only hurts people planning to hurt me," Maka said softly, gently lifting their joined hands and watching the energy curiously.

The man sleeping beside her snorted, opening his mouth wide in a yawn and showcasing all of his sharp sharp teeth. Maka watched him silently wake up, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his palm. He looked at the pillow as if to check up on her, but when he saw she wasn't there shot up in his seat, jerking his head around towards her.

Their eyes met over their hands, startled red meeting wide green, and their stare held for a minute. She had known his eyes were red, but until seeing them this close hadn't realized how beautiful they truly were. Maka tried to memorize every shade of red and every fleck of black hidden in his iris, watching him curiously. There was no urgency, no fight or flight reaction as she sat face to face with the man that had featured in most of her nightmares in the past week. Just curiosity and the reassurance that came from her mother's words from eight years ago.

Soul on the other hand was as not fascinated by her eyes as she was by his (no matter how bright and alive and brilliant they were). He was just happy that she hadn't beaten him up yet for sleeping next to her like a creep.

They could have sat like that forever if Maka hadn't chosen that moment to say, "You own me a new hoodie."

Soul shook his head, jerking his hand back from hers as he ripped himself free of her spell. "What?" he asked, his voice rough from sleep and his Scottish accent thick from visiting the rolling green hills of his homeland in his dreams.

"From the night with the thugs," Maka said, shaking out her hand and sitting fully up. "All the electricity torched my hoodie. Seeing as you caused it, you owe me a new hoodie."

"Ah, nice logic," Soul said sarcastically. Maka just quirked her eyebrow. "I could just fix it," he said, standing and stretching. Maka watched him as he stretched his arms over his head, her eyes drawn to the small patch of tan skin that his rising shirt had revealed.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" she asked, looking back up at him and frowning when she saw how much he towered over her.

"With Magik, duh."

"Oh, great," Maka groaned, flopping back on the bed. "This again." Soul rolled his eyes at her, walking towards her closet. "Hey, what are you doing?"

"Where's this hoodie that I need to fix?" he simply asked, pushing the doors open with a bit of difficulty.

"Should be on the floor in my closet," she said, rolling onto her side so she could watch him curiously. "I haven't had time to throw it out yet. Trust me, you'll know it when you see it."

Soul pulled out a hoodie, or at least what used to be a hoodie before someone flame broiled it. "Yikes," he said, making a face.

"Yeah, yikes."

"Well, we'll 'ave this fixed in a second lass," he said with a grin, tossing it onto the bed and over her legs. Maka sat back up and watched as he rolled up his sleeves.

"What are you doing?" the blonde asked, watching him curiously.

"Provin' to ye that Magik is real," he said, his eyes glowing.

Green Magik swirled around his hands and his grin grew wider when he heard Maka gasp. The hoodie lifted off the bed and Maka scrambled away from it, watching with wide eyes as Soul said something in Gaelic and the Magik jumped at the hoodie. It disappeared into a flash of green, and her hoodie flopped back onto her bed, looking better than it had when she had bought it at a thrift shop two years ago.

"H-how did you-"

"Magik," Soul said with a shrug, his accent caressing the word before letting it go.

"B-b-but-"

"Yer Magik to be exact," he continued on, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Seein' as I can' make mah own."

"What are you-"

"Which 'onestly is a little shameful but 'ey, can' change how I was born-"

"WOULD YOU SHUT UP AND LET ME TALK!?" Maka yelled, her glare effectively shutting him up. She sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Okay, start from the top," she said wearily.

"Are ye goin' to listen with an open mind?" he asked, grinning boyishly at her.

"You just turned my barbequed hoodie into a brand new one, I think I kind of have to."

Soul's grin grew wider, this conversation going much better than he had ever pictured. For example, she hadn't taken a swing at him yet (a fact he was very grateful for, seeing as she had a mean right hook). She was just watching him with a curious expression, and he silently wondered what had changed her mind about him.

"Well, for one thin', I'm a Warlock," he started, watching her reactions carefully.

"And what exactly does being... a Warlock, entail?" she asked.

"I deal in spells and charms, unlike Witches, who have much less control over their Magik," he said, his face twisting in disgust at the thought of his female counterparts. "Mean bunch they are, I'd stay away from them if I were ye."

"You're assuming I want to go near them," Maka retorted, "which I don't."

"Smart lass," Soul said with a smirk. "Anywhom, like I said I use spells and charms to control Magik. I can even put spells together for non-Magik users."

"Like those thugs?" Maka asked disapprovingly. The Warlock shrugged.

"I don' like it either, but they offered to pay twice as much and the spell was relatively 'armless."

"Armless?"

"I 'ave an accent if ye hadn' noticed, please shut up about it." Maka laughed, and he smiled at the musical sound of her voice.

"Marie called you a... a... sai-anne?" Maka fumbled over the word.

"A Siann," Soul corrected. "It means 'Deadlock'."

"It's Gaelic, right?" Maka asked, scooting closer to him and looking at him with wide, curious eyes.

"Yeah," he said, surprised. "How'd ye know that?" The Cadhnra shrugged.

"My papa used to listen to a lot of Gaelic music when I was younger, and I guess it kinda stuck with me. My iPod's half Riverdance, half Skillex." Soul visibly cringed, looking at her horrified.

"Sheesh lass, yer taste in music is terrible!" he exclaimed, and found himself on the receiving end of a smack to the back of his head the next second.

"I do not have a bad taste in music!" Maka said hotly, used to defending her musical preferences.

"Lass I've been around music all mah life, I know bad music when I 'ear it."

Maka just stuck her tongue out at him. "Go back to the Deadlock stuff, that sounded interesting," she said, her irritation leaving as curiousity took it's place.

Soul sighed, looking down at his lap. "It's not a fun thing to be. A Siann is a Warlock who can't make his own Magik. It's a birth defect normally, but there have been stories of Warlocks or even Witches having their Magik drained from them completely."

There was a small hand on his shoulder, and he looked up at Maka. She looked at him sadly, squeezing his shoulder in silent comfort. He smiled wearily back at her, patting her hand.:-) Maybe Tsubaki had been right, and he had judged her too quickly. She was much more compassionate than he had originally thought.

"I'm from a long line of Witches and Warlocks, so to not have my own Magik... It's disgraceful at best. That's why I left Scotland and came here." He looked at her, the most serious Maka had ever seen him in the short period of time she had known him. "I came lookin' for ye."

"Me?" Maka asked, startled. She jerked back from him, her hand leaving his shoulder.

"Not ye personally, but someone like ye. A Cadhnra, a person who makes Magik, but can' use it."

Maka looked down at her hand, watching as it began to spark. "So... this isn't electricity?"

"Nope."

"It's Magik."

"Yup."

"How do I make Magik?" she asked exasperatedly. "I've never even heard of Magik before last week!"

Soul reached over and gently took her sparking hand in his, and they both watched as the Magik sunk into the rough skin of his palm. "That's a tale for another time," he said, watching her as she stared at their joined hands. "The bottom line is, you make Magik very quickly. Even more so now that you've been exposed to me and I've used your Magik. If you don't let out the excess Magik occasionally, it will destroy you."

Maka jerked her head up at him. "Destroy me?" she squeaked.

Soul nodded, squeezing her hand in silent reassurence. "You 'ad a taste of what happens yesterday. It'll burn you up until there's nothing left."

"Well, that's reassuring," Maka said sarcastically.

"That's where I come in," Soul hurried to continue, reminding himself that how he worded these next few lines would decide whether or not the blond Cadhnra would work with him or not. "I need Magik, and you need to get rid of it. If you agree to this, you could come to me whenever you have too much Magik, and I could get it out of you, effectivly saving your life."

Maka was silent for a few seconds, watching as he held up her hand which was no longer sparking.

"... Will I have to kiss you every time?" Maka asked, her face scrunching up at the thought. Soul laughed heartily, shaking his head.

"No, that's just the quickest way. Any skin on skin contact will work, just like this," he reassured. He quirked his eyebrow and smirked at her. "Unless ye want me to kiss ye," he teased. Maka's face turned a delicious shade of red, and Soul laughed, even after she had smacked him again.

"What's the catch?" Maka asked once she had simmered down, crossing her arms. "You can't just offer to to take my Magik whenever I need you to without another motive."

"I get your Magik, lass, and that's all I want," Soul said earnestly. "I just want Magik."

"And are there any dangers to this? You took too much Magik the first time," she reminded him, frowning.

"It was a rush job," Soul grumbled before sighing. "There is one issue..."

"Knew it."

"Just be quiet lass and let me tell ye. There's a thing called a Banna, or a bond, that happens between a Cadhnra and whoever absorbs their Magik sometimes. It's very... intense, if ye want it put kindly, and breaking a Banna can result in some not so pretty stuff." Maka quirked her eyebrow.

"Stuff like what?"

"... Insanity, mostly," Soul said with a grimace. "Imagine watchin' yer child be brutaly murdered in front of yer eyes then locked in a room where you had to watch it over and over again. That's what breakin' a Banna feels like if done wrong."

Maka stared at him with wide eyes, shaking as her mind involentarily conjured up violent mental images. it hurt just to think about, she couldn't imagine actually going through that. "I don't see an upside to that..." she said slowly, drawing her hand away from Soul.

"The actual Banna is a beautiful thing," Soul said quickly, "and many Cadhnras manage a succesful working relationship without ever having an issue with it."

"Well how do you avoid it?" Maka asked.

"You can'a fall in love with me," Soul joked, watching as her cheeks pinked again. He took an almost devilish delight in making her blush, and decided he would have to try to do it more often.

"Yeah right, like I'd fall in love with a jerk like you!" Maka sputtered, glaring at him as he laughed.

"Then we should be set," Soul said with a nod. "So, what do ye say?" He held his hand out to her, watching her comtemplate his hand.

"... If I'm going to do this, there needs to be a few rules," she said firmly and Soul grinned.

"Yes, o' course lass."

"You might as well call me by my name instead of lass all the time," Maka said with a roll of her eyes.

"Alright Maka," he said, nodding, "no more callin' ye lass."

"Good," Maka said with a nod. "Rule number one. We just share Magik. I am your Candra-"

"Cadhnra."

"Whatever. I am your Cadhnra, and you are the Warlock that keeps me from becoming a piece of human firewood. No sex, no money, no nothing. That's it."

"I can live with that," Soul said with a nod.

"Rule number two. We don't talk about this to anyone who doesn't already know," Maka said firmly. "I've been working for most of my life to keep my sparking a secret, and I don't plan on spoiling that now."

"Am I allowed to talk about it to other Magik users? I 'ave a friend who won't stop botherin' me about my lack of Magik," Soul said. Maka nodded.

"Yes, that's allowed," she said, ignoring Soul's eye roll. "Which leads me to rule number three. You are not allowed to pass me aroound to any of your other friends who need Magik. I am still a person, not just a generator."

"Wouldn't dream of it Maka."

"And finally, rule number four. If you start to use my Magik inappropriatly, or selling spells to people like those thugs, the deal is off. I will not be used for evil."

"Yes ma'am," Soul said with a nod and a salute. Maka's mouth quirked up the the corner and she thought for a few more seconds.

"That's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure I'll think of something else later," Maka said with a shrug, taking his hand and shaking it. "Do I have to sign something or do I have to settle for a really sincere 'I promise'?"

"We could always do it my way," Soul said with a grin.

"And what way would that be?" Maka asked with a small smile, quirking her eye brow.

"With Magik," he said, making his eyes flash. Maka's smile grew wider, and she nodded excitedly. As wary as she was, Maka couldn't deny the fact that she was excited about this whole situation. She was magical! Plain old Maka Albarn was extraordinary. And she was sitting face to face with a man that could do all these amazing things with a word, if she would only give him the means. It was a new world for her to discover, and she was ready to dive in head first.

She nodded, and Soul grinned at her enthusiasum. He closed his eyes for a moment, and directed the Magik that he had just drawn from Maka into a rope, coiling around their joined hands. When he opened his eyes again, Maka was staring down at their hands wonderingly, smiling widely.

"It's beautiful," she said, watching as the Magik moved like a snake.

"It's alive Maka," he said with a smile, "you can' forget that. Forget that, and you can lose control of it."

"And that would be bad."

"Very," Soul said with a grin, and the two smiled at each other. "Now, for the actual Magik part. I, Soul Eater Evans-"

"Your name really is Soul?" Maka said, quirking her head to the side.

"Yeah, why?" Soul said, frowning.

"Nothing." Maka smiled at him. "It's a nice name." Soul smiled back at her and looked back down at their hands. "Now, Magik?"

"Magik," Soul said with a grin. "I, Soul Eater Evans, agree to the rules set down by Maka Albarn, and if I should break these rules, may I be struck down by the Magik she has gifted me with." The strand of Magik slithered around his wrist once before absorbing into his skin at the vein. He looked up at her and nodded his head, his eyes glowing with Magik. Her own eyes were a florecent green, powered by the Magik that was her birthright.

"I, Maka Marie Albarn, agree to the deal struck by Soul Evans, and if I should break from this deal, may I be struck down by the Magick I have been gifted with." The words flowed easily from her tongue, her eyes flaring a brighter green as the Magik absorbed into her skin.

"So it has been said," Soul said lowly.

"So it shall be," Maka finished, their eyes never leaving each other's. There was a bright green flare as the rest of the Magik unfurled from around their hands, slithering into their arms and twisting around their wrists under their skin. There was another, lighter flash and when it faded, there were twin bands of darker skin around their wrists. Maka looked at it with wide eyes, running her fingers over her new mark. Soul smiled, moving his watch from his other wrist to cover his mark.

"Hope you have a watch," he said teasingly, making her laugh.

"Yeah, can't really call this a tattoo," she teased right back.

Maka huffed, running towards the ringing phone as she dropped her hand towel onto the counter. "Shut up, I'm coming!" she yelled, snatching the phone up and pressing the phone to her ear. "What!?" she snapped, tucking a few stray strands of hair behind her ear.

"Maka?"

"Mama!" Maka sputtered, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. "Hi! Uh, sorry about that. I thought you were... someone else."

"Obviously," her mother said with a soft laugh. "Getting tired of all the boys calling after you?" she teased. Maka frowned, thinking of only one boy and his constant teasing and general jerkiness. It had been almost a month since they had started their agreement, and Maka had been severely disappointed when the kind, helpful Soul that had smiled at her over the bond that Magik had made wasn't the real Soul. The real Soul was a selfish ass, who barged into her home at all hours of the day asking for Magik and stealing all her cereal. He didn't see her as a person, just a battery that happened to like the same kind of breakfast food as he did.

"Nah, just one," she said with a frown. "How's Asia?"

"India, actually. And it's wonderful! You would love it here." Maka smiled softly, hugging her free arm around her waist. Her mother had been traveling ever since Maka had moved out after high school. She tried not to think about how her mother had been halfway to England before she had finished packing, relying on Liz and her sister Patti to help her move into her new apartment.

"Maka honey, did you hear me?" her mother said worridly. Maka shook her head free of those painful memories and focused on the present.

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I said who's the 'just one'? You never said you had started dating again!"

"It's not like that Mama, we're just friends," Maka said, walking back into the kitchen and getting back to work on her pasta dinner. "Hell, we're barely friends."

"Yet you thought he was calling you."

"He has a tendancy to... make a nucience of himself-"

"A nucience? Lass, I'm hurt."

"SON OF A BITCH!" Maka shrieked, jumping nearly a foot in the air and dropping the phone as Soul laughed. He had poofed behind her, like she had repeatedly told him not to do. "Stop DOING THAT!" she yelled, smacking his chest repeatedly. In a swirl of Magik, Soul disappeared, only to reappear lounging happily on her couch. She glared at him, her stare promising death as she picked up the phone again.

"-at's happening!? Maka? MAKA-"

"I'm fine Mama, just saw a rat," Maka growled, throwing her dish towel at the smirking Warlock on her couch.

"You have Irish rats?"

"Scottish, actually, and yes. Gonna need to call an exterminator," she huffed, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Sorry Maka," he said with a smirk that said he wasn't sorry at all.

"Is that the boy?" her mother asked, sounding almost giddy at the thought of her daughter finding someone.

"The annoying one? Yes," Maka said, turning her back on the grinning warlock to focus back on her dinner.

"You talk to yer mum about me?" Soul asked, sounding entirely too smug.

"Only because I yelled at her because I thought it was you," she said, cocking her hip as she looked over her shoulder at him. "Now shush, before I kick you out and you know I can." Soul just grinned, zipping his lips.

"He's Scottish? Ooooh, I always knew you had a thing for foreign men!"

"Mama!" Maka snapped, her cheeks turning a bright red as she heard Soul laugh behind her. She spun around and jabbed her finger at him, mouthing "Stop listening to my conversation!"

"You have a thin' for foreign guys? Should I be worried?" he said teasingly. Her face turned another shade darker, and she sputtered dangerously.

"Mama, I'll call you back. I have to commit murder."

"Don't forget to hide the body."

Maka hung up, tossing the phone onto the counter and stalking towards the Warlock. "You!" she hissed. "Where in the agreement did I say you could come into my house whenever you wanted? Oh, that's right, I DIDN'T!"

She flicked her wrist, the Magik jumping from her fingers and shocking the Warlock, knocking the wind out of him. "Where did ye learn to do that!?" he croaked as he gasped for air, grabbing the Magik and sucking it up.

"I've been practising," she said smugly. "Like you said, Magik's alive, and we've seem to come to an agreement." Soul scowled, standing up and heading towards her kitchen.

"Anyways, I came to invite ye to a party," he said, plucking a meatball out of the pan and popping it into his mouth.

"Oh, is everyone bringing their batteries along?" Maka said sourly, knocking him away from her food with her hip.

"Who said ye were a battery?" he said, looking at her with a quirked eyebrow.

"Well you never say it, but you sure as hell treat me like one," she said with a frown, ignoring him in favor of her dinner. "The deal doesn't make us friends, but I would love to be treated like a god damn person."

Soul watched her with wide eyes, not saying anything. He had known her for a month, and still barely knew her at all. Blair had warned him, hadn't she? Treat her like a battery, and she's going to snap like a rubber band. Well, he had been pulling and pulling, and here was the snap.

"I didn't know ye felt that way," he said softly, watching as she stopped, taking a deep breath before looking up at him with her big green eyes.

"I'm not asking for much," she said, "just, a little consideration would be nice. For example," she knocked his wandering hand away from her meatballs. "Stop eating my food! And stop poofing in here like you pay rent."

"Okay, 'ands off your food and don't come in without a five minute-"

"Ten minute."

"-Seven minute warnin'," he finished with a grin. "Now, party. Ye wanna come?"

"Whose party is it?" Maka asked, turning off the boiling noodles and taking them over to the sink.

"A friend of mine. He's been 'arassin' me about meetin' ye, and decided he wanted to waste a couple 'undred bucks on throwin' a party for me to drag ye to," Soul explained, getting out of her way. "Ye don't have to come, but it'll be fun, and it'll give ye a chance to meet other people with Magik."

Maka hummed, rinsing off the pasta and putting it in a bowl, pouring the sauce and meatballs over top. Soul snapped his fingers, and there was duplicate of her pasta bowl right next to it, fork included. "Technically it's not yer food," he said with a smile, and Maka couldn't help but smile back.

"Yeah, sure. I get a free bowl out of it," she said, taking both the bowls to the table and setting them on opposite ends. "So who's this friend and why do they care about meeting me?" she asked, taking a bite of her pasta as Soul sat down across from her.

"His name's Kidd, and we've been friends for a few years. And after a few years of seein' me freak out over findin' a Cadhnra, he's more than happy to know I finally have. And when I mentioned you were a girl..."

"He started assuming," Maka said with a nod, " I get it. So," she said teasingly, "Ye talk to yer friends about me?" she said with a bad Scottish accent. Soul smirked, shaking his head and throwing a meatball at her which she caught and tossed back at him.

"Only the really annoyin' ones," he said with a laugh, snapping his fingers and watching as the meatball vanished into thin air, only to reappear a few streets away and hit a random civilian in the face. "So what do ye say Maka? Feel like joinin' me Friday evenin' for a party?"

Maka hummed thoughtfully, chewing on her pasta for a few minutes before smiling. "Yeah, sure. What do I have to lose?" Soul grinned, and the two finished dinner together, talking about everything and anything.

Soul would look back on that night as the night he stopped seeing Maka as a Cadhnra, and started seeing her as a friend.

* * *

_Sorry I didn't update last week, I didn't have my computer. This weekend I'm gonna be at Shadocon, so I'll have pictures from that on my Tumblr soon._

_www . silv3rbloodalch3mist . tumblr . com_


	5. Tonight Will Be The Best You Ever Had

_I do not own Soul Eater, the plot and any original characters belong to me._

* * *

"It's a date~"

"It's not a date."

"It's totally a date!"

"Liz!" Maka snapped, glaring at her coworker. "It's not a date! He's just taking me to a party with him."

"Maka, I don't know what rock you've been living under, but that's called a date where I'm from," Liz said with a laugh, shaking her head. "So tell me, what are you going to wear?" Maka rolled her eyes, grabbing a stack of papers and heading towards the file room, Liz trailing behind her.

"Ugh, I dunno, some jeans and a nice shirt?" she said, separating the papers and starting to file them away. Liz gasped, sounding as if Maka had just lit a 300 dollar cashmere sweater on fire and danced on the ashes.

"Ah no, that's not gonna fly," Liz said, shaking her head. "You need something that'll make his brain malfunction."

"But I don't want to make his brain malfunction," the young woman said with a frown, "I just want to have a nice time."

"And you will! And afterwards, you'll have a _wonderful _time," Liz said with a sly grin, making Maka feel very uncomfortable. "So it's decided. After work, we're going shopping!"

"What? Liz, no-"

"Don't fight me on this, or so help me I will get Patti involved."

Maka gulped, the threat of having to face the wrath of the youngest Thompson sister sufficient enough to stop her protests. "Okay fine, but nothing crazy," she said, frowning as Liz cheered and started to help her with the filing. "I don't know if I'm gonna have enough for anything nice," she said with a thoughtful hum, frowning.

"Something nice for what?"

Both of the blond women looked up as their boss walked in. Joe Buttataki was tall and buff, which was impressive considering he spent most of his time behind a desk. He had a Bluetooth practically glued to his ear at all times, and a mug of coffee in his hand just as often. It was one of Maka's favorite jobs to make his coffee in the morning, at least when she got it right the first time. She had to make him a new cup seven times in a row one time because it "didn't taste right".

"Maka's got a date~" Liz sang, nudging her younger friend. Maka blushed, rolling her eyes before looking up at her mother's brother.

"It's not a date, a friend of mine just invited me to a party," she explained. Joe hummed thoughtfully, taking a sip of his coffee.

"This wouldn't happen to be the same _friend_ your mother was so excited about?" he asked, watching as Maka's face turned an even brighter shade of red.

"You talked to your _mom _about him, but wouldn't tell me?" Liz said, pouting angrily.

"I heard he was Scottish," Joe whispered conspiratorially.

"Scottish!? Oh hell, we definitely need to get you something nice now!"

"I don't have any money for anything nice Liz!" Maka snapped, glaring at her. "Just stop worrying about it-"

Two crisp hundred dollar bills in front of her face stopped her dead, her eyes wide as she looked up at her uncle. "Your mother can be very persuasive," was Joe's only explanation, a small smile on his face as he watched his niece's eyes lit up.

"Nice raise," Liz said with a grin.

"It's more of an early birthday present," he said, handing the money to Maka. "You just be sure my niece looks beautiful for her date."

"It's not a date!"

"Liar liar, pants on fire~"

"Real mature Uncle Joe, real mature."

* * *

Soul sighed as he knocked on Maka's door, adjusting his jacket as he shifted from foot to foot."Come on in!" he heard Maka yell, and he pushed the door open, looking around for the blond Cadhnra.

"Maka? Where are ye?" he called, peeking around the corner into the hallway where he knew Maka's bedroom and bathroom were located.

"I'm just finishing getting ready," she called back, and Soul rolled his eyes. Why did women always have to take so long to get ready?

"Well hurry up, if we're not there at eight exactly Kidd is going to... have... an aneurysm..."

Soul trailed off as Maka emerged from her room, a little shaky on the stiletto heels strapped onto her delicate feet. He felt his jaw unhinge and quickly snapped it up before she glanced up at him. Several thoughts flitted through his head, the safest one being "Hot damn I would like to eat those legs up for dinner".

The black and red silky dress she wore clung to her body, stopping at mid-thigh. It hung off her shoulders and the sleeves hung loose to her elbows, cut diagonally so that the back half hung down to her wrists. The sleeves were black as were the sides, with a wide red strip going down the front and back.

His eyes couldn't find one place to rest, darting from her delectable collarbone to the soft curve of her breasts and her itty bitty waist. He eventually settled for staring at her wire-rimmed glasses.

"Nice glasses," he said weakly, trying to focus on the dorky glasses instead of the soft blond curls cascading over one shoulder.

"Oh shush, I still have to put in my contacts," she said as she headed towards her bathroom, completely ignorant to his eyes following the sway of her ass.

Hot. Fucking. _Damn._

This was going to be a long night.

"That dress looks new," he said, leaning against the doorframe as he watched her put in her contacts.

"Yeah well, my friend found out I was going to a party and decided that if I didn't have a new outfit for the occasion, she would have to kill me," Maka explained, brushing on some mascara before straightening out her dress. "Trust me, if I had my way I'd be in jeans and a nice shirt."

"Remind me to thank yer friend."

"Huh?"

"Ye ready to go?" Soul said quickly, ignoring her inquisitive look. She nodded, grabbing her clutch off the counter and following after the tall warlock. "'Ey, with those heels on, yer almost up to eye level," he teased, pressing the elevator button as she huffed at him, smacking his shoulder with her clutch. He laughed at her angry expression, dodging another attack.

"Ugh, curse you for being tall," Maka grumbled as she strutted into the elevator. Once she had gotten used to the heels, they really were rather easy to walk in, and added an extra swing to her hips for Soul to drool over. They reached the bottom floor and Soul directed her towards the front, where his car sat waiting.

"Maka-chan~! Hi!"

Maka's small smile froze on her face as Blair leaned out of the car, flashing her ample cleavage at the two of them as she waved excitedly. She was gorgeous, her short purple hair dancing around her shoulders, and Maka felt whatever self-esteem she had float away on the late night breeze. She had been so happy with her reflection earlier, the stilettos that made her legs look miles long, the sexy dress that emphasised what little curves she did have.

The blond Cadhnra had felt sexy for the first time in a long while, but staring at Blair as the happy Familiar practically bounced up and down in the passenger's seat, she knew she was deluding herself.

Oh well, it had been nice while it lasted.

"Oi Blair, sit down!" Soul snapped, his tone harsh but his smile soft as the excitable cat woman plopped back into her seat, looking Maka up and down with a sultry smirk.

"Maka-chan!" she purred. "You look so sexy tonight!" Maka's head jerked up, watching the woman with a small shy smile.

"Nah, I'm nothing compared to you," she said, the joking tone of her words taking away the seriousness of her statement. "You look gorgeous!" Soul watched her with a concerned expression as she hopped into the backseat of the black convertible, her smile fake and plastic. He hummed thoughtfully as he walked to get behind the wheel.

The two women chatted as Soul drove, leaving him to his thoughts as he drove. After sharing Magik with Maka for nearly a month and a half, he wasn't fluent in Maka speak, but he knew the lingo. And she seemed to be screaming "Uncomfortable". He could see her fake smile in the rearview mirror, and the way she seemed to sink in on herself where earlier she had been walking with her head held high, looking every part the powerful mistress of Magik that she was. It couldn't be Blair, seeing as the two got along fabulously - Blair constantly sang the Cadhnra's praises at home - and it wasn't him because she was smiling at him when they had reached his car.

As he pulled up to Kidd's manor on the edge of Death City, he pushed those thoughts away and parked in the large four car garage. "Well, 'ere we are lassies," he said as he turned off the car, Blair squealing in excitement as she practically leaped out of the car. Maka felt her shoulders slump a little more when she finally got to see Blair's dress in it's entirety. It was a dark purple hue to match her hair, with a long skirt and daring slits up both sides. Her back was bare, the front of her dress being held up by what Maka could only assume to be dress tape and Magik.

As Blair ran for the door, already yelling for a shot of Patron, Maka sighed, standing so she could crawl back over the side of the corvette. A large hand on her elbow stopped her, and she looked up to see Soul rolling his eyes with a small grin on his face. "Yer takin' too long," he said, wrapping his hands around her waist and lifting her up. Her arms immediately went around his neck as she swung her legs over the edge, smiling softly as Soul set her down gently.

"Thanks Soul," she said, fixing her dress so it didn't bunch up so high on her legs. When she looked back up, Soul was still standing there, one arm held out towards her.

"Will ye do me the honor of bein' on my arm this evenin'?" he asked, smirking as her cheeks flushed a soft red.

"I dunno, did you wash it?" she asked, making him laugh.

"O'course Maka," he said. Maka sighed dramatically as she looped her arm through his.

"Well I guess I can suffer for just this one night," she said with a small, sultry smile. That smile was not PG in any sense, and Soul would be lying if he said it didn't do funny things to his dick. He had to remind himself that he was a full grown man, and full grown men do not pop boners because of one woman's smile, no matter how sexy it was.

He led Maka inside, watching as her sultry grin dropped off her face and was replaced by awe as she looked around. "Oh my god," she breathed, looking around the room.

There was Magik literally everywhere.

Small sprites and pixies flitted overhead, looking like little more than small pinpricks of light. As her head spun around, Maka could spot several creatures that she had only ever read about -holy crap was that a centaur!? That was a centaur! She was half aware that Soul was watching her with an amused expression, but she didn't care.

"What even- how- How is this even real?" Maka asked, her eyes wide as she tried to take everything in at once.

"Kidd's parties are famous amongst all Magikal creatures, so they're always full up," Soul said, maneuvering past two tall Nymphs that smiled seductively at the Warlock. "That and we can' really go to any other parties without exposin' ourselves. Certain creatures can, but most can'."

Maka nodded, looking around with wide eyes. A few of the creatures that were at the party smiled and waved at her, a small group of men with pointed ears and fluorescent purple eyes cat-called and winked at her. She blushed and waved at them, squeaking when Soul pulled her forward almost roughly. "What was that for!?" she snapped, glaring up at him. He frowned back down at her.

"Those were Tapaires, basically the Magikal version of incubi," he explained. "It would be best if ye stayed away from them. They like to prey on pretty women like yerself." Maka's blush got darker, and she heard a few of the Tapaires whistle and croon at her.

"You really think I look pretty tonight?" she asked softly, and Soul's grip on her arm tightened a little bit. He looked down at her and was amazed to see the headstrong, fire cracker of a woman he had come to know staring sadly down at her feet, biting her lip nervously. He heard a loud, familiar laugh and watched as Maka tensed as Blair passed them by in a flurry of purple silk and curves. Soul practically heard the gears in his head click into alignment as he finally figured out what was bothering Maka.

She was self conscious, with a dash of low self esteem thrown in for good measure. He could see the truth of his theory in her eyes as she watched the women around her, even if he didn't understand it. He remembered thinking her plain several weeks ago, but she was more like beauty in its simplest form, not polluted by any unnecessary features nor lines. And to watch someone that looked as good as Maka looked that night - eyes sad as she watched scantily clad witches and sprites and nymphs skipping around - feel so down about herself... Soul wouldn't stand for it.

He had been raised in the lap of luxury, and his father had gifted him with an eye for beauty, both in art, Magik, and women. And despite the fact they were just barely friends and that this might easily be taken the wrong way, Soul felt it was his duty to protect the Cadhnra from the lies in her head.

He leaned down so he was close to her ear, letting go of her arm so he could wrap his arm firmly around her tiny waist. "Ye look beautiful tonight," he breathed in her ear, watching as she shivered slightly. She looked up at him, and for the first time since they had met, he didn't focus on the Magik hiding in her olive eyes, but instead focused on the actual iris. Her eyes really were quite beautiful, their bright green color reminding him so much of the field surrounding his home in Scotland that it almost physically hurt.

"You really think so?" she asked softly, her eyes never leaving his. Soul smiled and nodded, their faces so close that his bangs brushed hers.

"Positive lass," he said, looking around suspiciously - Maka giggled at the theatrical show - and pulled her closer still. "In fact, I think you're the most beautiful woman in the room," he whispered, and as he watched a wide smile break across her face, he realized he wasn't lying. They were surrounded by impossibly beautiful and exotic creatures of Magik, and he wouldn't trade any of them for the woman smiling up at him. "Don't tell the Tapaires I said that, might encourage them to try somethin'."

"We wouldn't want that, would we?" Maka teased, looking up at him through her ridiculously long eyelashes and how had he never noticed that? There was so much he had missed during the month.

"Never," he said, grinning down at her before he straightened out and led her deeper into the crowd. If she had noticed that he didn't remove his arm from her waist, she didn't say anything.

They were almost to the bar, where Kidd had told him to meet up with him, when Soul saw a blur of blue and tan push through the crowd towards them. Soul groaned, tightening his hold on Maka before letting go. "Oh great," he groaned, "I so don' wanna deal with him right now."

"Deal with who- OH MY GOD." Maka scrambled away as she watched what looked like a car crash involving two tan muscular men.

It would've been kinda hot if the man that wasn't Soul wasn't screaming in a high pitched voice and had blue hair. _Blue. Hair._

"SOUL!" the blue haired torpedo screamed, grinning from ear to pointy ear. "HOW YA' BEEN MAN!?"

"Good until ye made my _ears bleed ye little prick," _Soul growled, his eyes sparking with Magik as he shoved the other man off him. "How many times to I have to tell ye to stop doin' that, BlackStar!?"

"You can't control a king!" BlackStar with a laugh, his arm draped around Soul's wide shoulders - an impressive feat seeing as he was the same height as Maka while she had those insane heels on. "So where's the chick that Kidd wants to meet? He's throwing a fit that you weren't here exactly at eight. I swear, he has a bigger pole up his ass then you do!" Soul rolled his eyes and shoved BlackStar off him, going to stand by Maka's side again.

"BlackStar, Maka. Maka, BlackStar," Soul said shortly. BlackStar didn't usually annoy him this much this quickly, but he was currently irritated beyond belief. Possibly because BlackStar made him remove his arm from Maka's waist. Maka smiled at BlackStar a little hesitatingly, reaching out to shake his hand when suddenly she was in the air, BlackStar having hoisted her up in a tight bear hug, laughing loudly in her ear.

"THAT'S KING BLACKSTAR TO YOU!" he yelled, and Soul had to laugh as he watched the Cadhnra try to squirm away from him.

"You aren't yet a king BlackStar," a quiet but firm voice said. BlackStar put down Maka with a pout, and she turned around to see a tall, lanky man with distinctive golden eyes and black hair approaching them, his gait measured but his strides long as he carried himself with the air of someone important. "You are still just a prince."

"Yeah, but who cares about that?" BlackStar huffed, his cocky grin coming back as he stared down the other man. Neither man noticed Maka taking slow, backwards steps towards Soul. "I like to look to the future, and in the future I see, I'm the greatest king to walk the planet!"

"Don't you mean '_flit around _the planet'?"

"_I told you, it's __**not**__flitting-"_

"Oi," Soul snapped, zapping them both with Maka's Magik. "Would ye shut up for five seconds, the both of ye?" Both men seemed to pout at him, but the tall man straightened up and smiled once he caught sight of Maka.

"You must be Ms. Albarn," he said, approaching her and taking both her hands in his. Maka smiled shyly and nodded at him. "The woman of the hour," he continued, bringing her hands up so he could kiss the knuckles of both. "It is a pleasure to meet the Cadhnra that has my good friend under her thumb."

"I'm not under 'er thumb! And I'd be careful with those 'ands, Kidd," Soul said with a small smile. "They can easily knock yer teeth out." Maka glared at him and turned back to Kidd with a smile.

"I would never punch such a gracious host," Maka said with a soft smile that had Soul melting on the sidelines. "You must be Soul's friend Death the Kidd."

"That I am," Kidd said with a small bow. "So Ms. Albarn-"

"Please, call me Maka."

"So, _Maka, _how are you enjoying the party so far?" Maka looked around, her eyes sparkling.

"It's unlike anything I've ever seen before," she said. "Thank you so much for letting me come and experience all this." Kidd smiled at her.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. I've been wanting to meet you ever since Soul told me about you." Maka smiled coyly in Soul's direction.

" 'I don't talk to you around my friends' my _ass," _Maka said smugly, though her smugness turned into confusion when Soul blushed under his tan. Soul never blushed, even when he would pop in on her while she was getting changed. She quirked her head to the side, trying to figure out what about her innocent comment had the normally unfazable Soul Evans turning a soft red.

"Well, he said many good things about you Maka," Kidd said, snapping Maka back into reality. "Especially your control of your own Magik. Control like that is unheard of in people like yourself. Perhaps we should all go to the bar and have a few drinks together and discus-"

There was a loud crash, and the four adults' heads snapped towards the source of the sound. The centaur from earlier was backpedaling away from what looked like the remains of a vase, having hit the stand with her hip as she passed. "Sorry everyone!" she called, looking sheepish as she avoided hitting the vase's twin. "Gosh I hope that wasn't expensive."

Maka turned back to see Kidd's reaction, but instead was sent stumbling back into Soul's arms by a sudden rush of Magik. The calm, prim and proper gentleman from before was gone, replaced by a very angry, very powerful being. _"How dare you ruin the symmetry of my home!" _Kidd bellowed, his voice suddenly deep and twisted, like there were a thousand people talking at once. "_You will pay a steep price for destroying the balance of those vase-"_

Suddenly Kidd collapsed, a bored BlackStar grabbing onto his collar before he hit the floor. "Don't worry," he called out to the visibly frightened centaur, "the vase was crap anyways."

"I'll fix it," Soul said, bored, as he let go of Maka and went over to the shattered remains, fixing it with a few muttered words and a wave of his hand.

"What the hell just happened?" Maka asked BlackStar, following him as he dragged Kidd to the bar. He propped the unconscious man up on a barstool.

"Oh, Kidd has a bit of a balance issue," he started, ordering himself a beer.

"OCD," Soul clarified as he came up behind Maka, a warm, broad hand resting on her shoulder.

"Yeah, that," BlackStar said. "He gets real pissy whenever someone breaks anything and goes all Super Saiyan on us. It's normally best just to knock him out."

" 'E'll come to in a few 'ours," Soul reassured her. Maka nodded slowly.

"You're an odd bunch, aren't you?" she said, mostly to Soul even if BlackStar did start laughing.

"Oh you 'ave no idea lass," Soul said with a laugh, squeezing her shoulder before nudging her towards one of the open bar stools.

The three sat and drank for a while, chatting and laughing. When he wasn't yelling, Maka found that she enjoyed BlackStar's company, his sense of humor a breath of fresh air compared to Soul's sarcasm. Watching the two interact was amusing as well, the two teasing each other and pushing each other around. Kidd came to about an hour after the vase mishap, and after checking and seeing his vase back in place, he relaxed once more. He struck up a conversation with Maka about several topics, ranging from Magik to their favorite books.

"Oh yes, I must show you my library," Kidd said, and Maka perked up at the thought. "It's horribly asymmetrical due only having one copy of each book, but no one seems to care."

"One copy is all I need," Maka said with a laugh, about to take another sip of her champagne when suddenly there were two thin arms draped over her shoulders and two large breasts pressed against her back.

"Maka-chan~" Blair sang, grabbing her hands and tugging. "You have to dance with me!" Maka's cheeks pinked a bit, and she shook her head.

"No, I shouldn't," she said quickly. "I haven't danced in years." Which was a lie, seeing as it was just yesterday she had danced around her home while cleaning, but she hadn't been in a dance class since she graduated from high school.

"So? Here," Blair tugged Maka out of her chair and shoved her at Soul. "Soul-kun needs to dance too, and he hasn't danced in a while either." Soul steadied Maka by grabbing her waist, making sure she didn't twist an ankle in those death traps she called shoes.

"Blair, neither of us want to dance," he said, frowning at his Familiar. "Can' we just sit 'ere and enjoy ourselves?"

"Nope!" Blair said happily, darting behind Soul and pushing him off his chair as well. "You two have to dance!"

Before either Cadhnra or Sainn could protest again, both Kidd and BlackStar were cheering them on, raising their glasses and taunting the two. Maka sighed and looked up at Soul, and he looked down at her as well.

"Should we?" he asked, motioning to the other three with a jerk of his head. Maka pursed her lips, and after a moment bent down and undid the clasps on her strappy heels, unaware of Soul's eyes on the curve of her spine. Neither Blair nor Kidd missed it, and they shared a knowing smile before looking back towards the two. Maka popped back up after a moment, handing her heels to Blair and smiling up at Soul.

"Okay, now we can dance," she said, looping her arm through Soul's as the two made their way onto the dance floor.

"I'll try to keep it simple for you," Soul said a little cockily, and Maka quirked an eyebrow at him as they moved into their spots across from each other.

"Oh, I actually think it'll be you that'll have trouble keeping up," Maka said as a new song started, the beat slow and sensuous.

"We'll see about that," Soul said, stepping closer.

"We will," Maka said, and as the singer began to spin a tale of lust and pleasure, they were off. Soul was surprised at how easily she moved, and it was evident that she had been well trained. But he kept up easily, the two moving around each other surely and smoothly. Maka spun gracefully, her arms above her head, and when the turn was done, she stood face to face with Soul. His eyes had darkened and Maka subconsciously licked her lips. His hands met hers over her head and slowly moved down, tracing her the curves of her body until he reached her hips, when he tugged her closer so that their hips were barely an inch apart.

Their hips moved in time as they stared into each other's eyes, Maka's hands pressed against his chest. They were so absorbed in each other that they didn't notice the sparks of Magik curling around their ankles. They didn't notice how the crowd had cleared a wide space for them.

They only noticed each other, and the music that surrounded them.

"Not bad," Soul said softly, his accented voice deep and rich. "Let's see what else ye can do." With that he spun her away from him, Magik trailing from her fingers as she turned. She jerked to a stop and used him as a counterbalance as she leaned back, her eyes never leaving his. She spun back towards him, and when she spun into his chest, her leg curled around his thigh and she kept turning, until her other leg was far behind her and Soul's arm was behind her waist, keeping her up along with her arm around his neck.

"Yes, let's," she said with a coy smile, pulling herself up so that the leg not twirled around his thigh was hooked over his hip, their chests pressed together. Soul's answering smirk was cocky and seductive as his hand curled around her thigh, keeping her up as her leg untangled from his.

As they continued to dance, the Magik sparking between them increased until it was another dance partner, trailing from Maka's fingertips as her arms went above her head, following Soul's feet as he stepped around her, partnering her with a grace unlike anything anyone had ever seen. Their dance was sexy and seductive and powerful, and at the end - Soul dipping Maka as her leg curled over his waist- the applause was thunderous.

The Cadhnra and Sainn were panting for breath, Soul pulling her back up and holding her close as they panted in each other's ear. The feeling of her breath on his neck, her breasts pressed firmly against his chest, her Magik swirling around them lazily in the aftermath, all of it played on Soul's senses like a finely-tuned piano. He took his sweet time in setting her back on the ground, and even so kept their cheeks firmly pressed against the other's. Eventually he found it in him to move so that their foreheads were pressed together, and looking into Maka's deep green eyes, Soul felt something stir inside his chest.

If you had asked anyone at the party what happened after the dance, they would have told you that a very embarrassed Maka had rushed back to her seat at the bar and sat firmly there for the rest of the night, ignoring Blair's compliments and teasing as Soul sat silently next to her, watching her from the corner of his eye as his thoughts focused on Maka Albarn and only Maka Albarn.

But only three friends at the bar had been watching closely enough to see a small strand of red Magik travel between their chests as Soul and Maka stared deep into each other's eyes. A single, weak strand of Magik that curled protectively around Maka's soul, a barrier against harm, made from Magik, familiarity, and the hint of new love.

A single, weak, strand of Soul Eater Evans' Magik.

A single, weak, precious strand that was all his mangled soul could produce.

* * *

_Hey everyone, sorry for the super late update. It's the end of the first semester of senior year, and it' just been very stressful. Also, I got a job! But this week and the next, I will be working and catching up on the chapters and writing new ones. I also need to be working on AG, but I jsut want to skip this chapter I'm supposed to be writing._

_I'll post the next chapter after Christmas._

___www . silv3rbloodalch3mist . tumblr . com_


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